California CRE News In Your Inbox.
Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.
California People & Company News for Dec. 1, 2023
- Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP expanded its real estate practice in California with the addition of shareholder Vivek K. Chavan, who returns to the firm after four years at DLA Piper. Chavan works on complex acquisitions, joint ventures, financings and other real estate related transactions, and is based in the firm’s Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices.
- Walnut Creek-based Mechanics Bank has hired 10 additional wealth management professionals from First Republic Bank, now part of JPMorgan Chase & Co. They include Hamilton Kipp, director of real estate and unique assets, and Tracy Yeakle, real estate asset manager as well as chair of CREW San Francisco’s membership committee. Both are based in San Francisco. The other new hires are based in San Francisco, Walnut Creek and Palo Alto.
- Chika Sunquist has been appointed Commissioner at the California Department of Real Estate, succeeding longtime Commissioner Doug McCauley, who will retire at year’s end. Sunquist has been Assistant Commissioner of Enforcement at the Department of Real Estate since 2020 and has served in several roles there since 2006, including Supervising Special Investigator, Special Investigator, Senior Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner.
- Build Group, a Bay Area-based general contractor, has appointed Tony Rango to its board of directors. Based in Los Angeles, Rango brings a wealth of industry experience and insights to the team, underlining his longstanding connection with the company’s founders.
- General contractor McCarthy Building Companies promoted Naomi Whitesel to VP of preconstruction. During her time at McCarthy, she has developed multiple design phase processes and played a significant role in the project team structure. In her new role, Whitesel will oversee the preconstruction team in the Roseville Business Unit.
- AIA Los Angeles announced the newly elected and/or current board members assuming new roles on the 2024 AIA|LA board of directors. They include 2024 president Annette Wu, VP/president-elect Chava Danielson, secretary Christiana Kyrillou, past president Leslie Sydnor, associate director Morgan Sumner, and newly elected board members Carlos Augusto Garcia, James Woolum, Cynthia Sigler and Julia Molloy Gallagher.
- Premier Workspaces, a provider of flexible office space solutions, has expanded its presence at the 2121 Avenue of the Stars (formerly known as Fox Plaza) office space in Century City. At the Irvine Company’s office tower, which served as Nakatomi Plaza for the 1988 movie Die Hard, Premier Workspaces will add an additional 32 turnkey offices for a total of 86 to complete its full-floor space.
- ◦People
